The use of a rigid rod member such as a wooden dowel handle in combination with a loop structure in a fabric material is known. Pocket sections or loops are laterally spaced with respect to each other and fit over the ends of the elongated dowel. A solid piece of flexible fabric forms a U-shaped opening between the dowel and loop or pocket sections.
However, with the known configurations, the accidental disassembly of the rigid rod member from the fabric portion of the handle structure is common. Consequently, the article carrier is subject to mishandling and the potential for dropping and damaging the carried article is significant. Such a mishap while carrying a food container is particularly distasteful.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,452 discloses the general type of handle to which the present invention relates. This known handle assembly comprises stiffened adhesive-backed sheets forming a heavy Kraft paper laminated or adhesively secured together with an intermediate layer of reinforcing fibers. The rigid rod member is fixedly secured within the stiffened or rigid paper loops or rod end holding sections. Thus, the particular problem associated with flexible material such as cloth loops used with rigid rod members does not exist in this prior art handle assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,661 discloses a plastic bag formed of flexible sheet material with a handle assembly including two end pockets used with two separate rigid members or dowel sections. Thus, the particular problem addressed in this invention is not present in this prior art structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,663 discloses a handle assembly having an end pocket configuration for holding the ends of a rod section. The loops are relatively stiff and slidingly engage a pair of horizontally oriented support arms. Thus, the problem specifically relating to the use of a single rod member in a distal end loop structure is not addressed in this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,971,322 shows a flexible article carrying device with a flexible handle member fixedly attached at each end thereof to the distal ends of an article carrier.
While these earlier U.S. patents disclose the general state of the art, none are particularly directed to solving the problem recognized and solved by this invention.